Clean Up

Thanks to Pinterest, I have removed "most" of the chemicals from my cleaning up. It saves money, and it is better for us. My absolute favorite so far has been the glass cleaner. It cleans so well, and doesn't leave streaks whatsoever.

Glass Cleaner
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 t. castile soap
2 c. water

~ Mix in a spray bottle and clean away!

My second favorite is the All Purpose cleaner. It works very well on stuck on food! I use it on, well everything. It is All Purpose, you know....

All Purpose Cleaner
 1/2 t. washing soda (found in laundry isle)
2 t. Borax
1/2 t. castile soap.
2. c water (I use warm to help dissolve everything)

~Mix in a spray bottle and clean away! 

In order to make and All Purpose cleaner into and Antiseptic cleaner is to add 1t thyme or lavender essential oil... Remember NOT the scented oil like you find at Walmart, it needs to be actual essential oil. I haven't actually done this yet, but will as soon as I remember to pick some up.

Now, onto floors. I. Hate. Cleaning. Floors. Seriously, it is my worst chore ever. I don't mind the vacuuming/sweeping part, but mopping. UHG! I hate it..... Because I hate it, I don't do it nearly as much as I should. My friend posted about a floor cleaner that she thought was just wonderful, so I thought I would give it a go. I basically have new floors! I could NOT believe how well this cleaned. I have a white tile floor, and my grout is well, disgusting. It's pretty dark, and I hate it. I am pretty positive that after a few mopping sessions, it will be completely clean. Even with no bleach! I was really, really amazed by this.

Floor Cleaner
1/4 c. white vinegar 
1 t. liquid dish soap 
1/4 c. washing soda 
 2 gallons tap water, very warm 

~ Place all the ingredients into a bucket and mix well until sudsy, and mop away.
*You will need to go over with a plain water mop after or it will leave a bit of a film. Worth it! Seriously clean!

I think that is it for now. Happy Cleaning! 

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder
5 teaspoons paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons onion powder
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt to taste

This makes enough for about 3 pounds of ground hamburger.  Add about 1/3 cup of water and enjoy!

Be Royal!

We just won the World Series and it is so awesome! The last time was 1985. I don't remember specifics of the last time we won, but I do remember all the hoopla! I am so excited to be able to share this with my kids. They called off school tomorrow so we are going to the big parade and celebration. It is going to be a madhouse, but totally worth it!

New Recipe

I bought some boneless ribs because they were crazy cheap. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. Hubby is the one who usually does ribs, but I wanted to give them a go. I decided to  make BBQ Ranch Ribs in the crock pot. I really hope they turn out! This is a Pinterest recipe, so we shall see how it goes.

My menu for this week is still in progress. I will have to come back here and update it.

Menu November 2nd-November 8th
Monday ~ BBQ Ranch Boneless Ribs
Tuesday ~
Wednesday ~
Thursday ~ CFA
Friday ~
Saturday ~ Get Together
Sunday ~ Hubby Grills.

My Kitchen

When we moved into our house, the kitchen had the original 1970's wall paper. It was the first thing to go. I've always wanted a red kitchen, so that's what we did. Here we are 10 years later, and I still love the red, but I have been wanting something just a little different.

I love the way gray and yellow look together. I painted my cabinets yellow a few years ago, and I love them, but I really want to incorporate gray in. So I decided to paint the walls yellow, but leave 1 red accent wall and I will paint the cabinets gray. Stay tuned for pics. :)

I tried

Well I succeeded in not going out this week besides CFA day. I didn't cook everyday tho. Hubby grilled on Sunday, then I cooked Monday and Tuesday, so by Wednesday we had a TON of leftovers. Good thing is, I really don't have to get too much at the grocery store this week! :)
I doubt I will be making the Creamy Chicken and Broccoli again. It was a new recipe and it didn't go over too well. Everyone ate it, but it wasn't something we'd really want again.


Monday ~ Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday ~ Enchilada Pork Tacos
Wednesday ~ Chicken Philly
Thursday ~ CFA
Friday ~ Leftovers
Saturday ~ Get Together
Sunday ~ Grill

High School Reading

I have gotten back into reading lately. I love reading, I love books, but sometimes I go through a spell where I just don't get to do it. If I don't have the time to commit to finishing a book within a week or so, I just don't even bother. 

I have gotten through a few books this past month, (YAY!). One of them was one I "read" in high school. To Kill A Mockingbird.  I don't remember how much I actually read back then, probably not much because I was BLOWN AWAY with how good it was reading it now. Either I didn't really read it, or just didn't appreciate it as a teen. Either is entirely possible. I was a horrible student and if was required of me, I didn't want any part of it. I have a list of books that I pretended to read in school that I am going to reread. Next up is Cold Sassy Tree. I have ZERO clue what this book is about, so I guess I will be surprised. Although, I did write a paper on it......... 

Meal Planning

I envision this being some wonderful blog, just like some of the ones I follow. However, it won't be and that's OK. What you will find here is a cluster of ramblings coming from inside my crazy brain. I'm really trying to get organized and cook most nights, so there will be recipes and menu planning, I hope. If I happen to stumble upon some wonderful organization or cleaning tip or product or something, I will share it. There will most likely be things I am currently aggravated with or people I am praying for. My hope is seeing things on here, I will be able to remember and stay focused on things I really want to do! 

First up is my menu plan for NEXT week. Since it's Wednesday, I feel like this week is already a wash, BUT, I am planning next week so I can hit the ground running come Monday. Monday's will most likely always be a crockpot meal. We have 2 hours of soccer practice that night and by the time we get home, it's bed time. I like to have it ready so we can eat and leave. 

I'm also thinking of maybe designating a certain type of meal to a certain day, like Mexican Tuesdays, or Italian Wednesdays, but I feel like we may get tired of that. Thursday is almost ALWAYS Chick-Fil-A day. We have been doing that for around 2 years. I don't really remember how or why that started but around Tuesday, Hubby is always saying "It's almost Chick-Fil-A day." I would really like us to not eat out other than that, but it doesn't always work that way. That is why I am going to try menu planning (again). 

October 5th-11th

Monday ~ Enchilada Pork Tacos

Tuesday ~  Creamy Chicken and Broccoli (crockpot)

Wednesday ~ Chili & Cinnamon Rolls

Thursday ~ CFA

Friday ~ Chicken Philly (crockpot)

Saturday ~ Leftovers

Sunday ~  Grill